Influential Communication for Women in Business Training Course

Participants can structure concise messages that lead audiences toward a clear decision or action.

• BLUF openings that state the recommendation, rationale and requested decision
• Pyramid Principle structures for concise senior-leader briefing messages
• PREP responses for answering unexpected questions without losing direction
• Signposting language that separates facts, assumptions, risks and recommendations
• Three-part headlines replacing chronological updates in status conversations
• Closing statements that secure ownership, timing and explicit next steps

Participants can use voice and body language to reinforce a credible professional message.

• Diaphragmatic breathing for steady vocal support under scrutiny
• Pauses, pace and emphasis used to make key messages land
• Declarative sentence endings that reduce unintended uncertainty in delivery
• Vocal variety matched to evidence, urgency, reassurance and challenge
• Posture, gesture and eye contact supporting credible physical presence
• Video feedback criteria for observable executive-presence behaviours during presentations

Participants can state needs, boundaries and disagreements directly while maintaining professional relationships.

• Assertiveness continuum distinguishing passive, assertive, aggressive and passive-aggressive responses
• DESC script for raising concerns and requesting behavioural change
• Broken-record technique for maintaining a reasonable boundary under pressure
• Negative assertions used to acknowledge valid criticism without self-erasure
• Rights-based language replacing apology habits and unnecessary permission seeking
• Boundary statements that specify capacity, trade-offs and alternative commitments

Participants can address conflict, interruptions and inappropriate behaviour with composure and precision.

• Interest-based negotiation separates positions from underlying business needs
• BATNA preparation establishes credible alternatives before consequential discussions
• CALM conversations: clarify, acknowledge, listen, move toward agreement
• Name the behaviour, impact and request using SBI
• Defusing interruptions, credit-taking and dismissal without escalating conflict
• Responses to biased comments that preserve standards and working relationships

Participants can prepare and intervene effectively in meetings where authority and airtime are contested.

• Meeting objective statements matched to decision, consultation or information exchange
• Pre-wiring stakeholders before meetings where formal authority is limited
• Agenda architecture assigning decision owner, contributors, timing and evidence
• Interventions that reclaim airtime after interruption or topic diversion
• Round-robin and parking-lot methods for inclusive decision-focused meetings
• Decision logs recording commitments, owners, deadlines and unresolved assumptions

Participants can present evidence, recommendations and requests in a format senior audiences can act on.

• Executive presentation architecture: context, recommendation, evidence, implications and decision
• SCQA framing for creating urgency without overstating the problem
• Data stories that connect measures, meaning, options and action
• Slide titles written as assertions rather than topic labels
• Handling hostile questions with bridging, evidence and a clear answer
• Final asks calibrated to authority, risk tolerance and meeting purpose

Participants can select effective channels and write messages that prompt clear action.

• Channel selection based on urgency, sensitivity, complexity and decision traceability
• Executive emails using BLUF, scannable evidence and explicit action requests
• Virtual meeting presence through camera framing, turn-taking and verbal signposting
• Chat and collaboration messages that retain tone, accountability and context
• Written disagreement phrased with evidence, alternatives and respectful challenge
• Follow-up notes converting discussion into decisions, actions and escalation points

Participants can build support for ideas and communicate their contribution with professional credibility.

• Stakeholder maps assessing influence, support, interest and communication requirements
• Influence strategies matched to rational, relational and coalition-building routes
• Reciprocity, consistency and social proof applied ethically to sponsorship
• Sponsorship conversations that state aspirations, evidence and specific asks
• Credit-claiming language that documents contribution without diminishing collaborators
• Reputation signals built through reliability, judgment, visibility and follow-through

Participants can create a focused plan for improving communication in their real work context.

• Communication audit identifying recurring high-stakes moments, patterns and consequences
• Personal trigger map linking situations, reactions, needs and replacement responses
• Feedforward requests focused on future behaviour and observable impact
• Thirty-day practice plan scheduled around real meetings and decisions
• Peer accountability agreements with check-ins, measures and evidence collection
• Personal communication charter defining standards, boundaries and influence priorities

You should have experience working in a professional environment and communicating with colleagues or stakeholders. No formal public speaking, leadership or communication qualification is required.

Bring examples of real communication situations you want to handle more effectively, such as an upcoming presentation, difficult conversation or stakeholder meeting. You may also bring a laptop or tablet if you prefer to work electronically on templates and plans.

It is designed for women who need to influence decisions, communicate expertise, lead meetings or manage challenging workplace interactions. Participants may be managers, specialists, project leaders, client-facing professionals or emerging leaders.

Presentation delivery is one part of the programme, but the course also covers influence, boundaries, difficult conversations, meeting interventions, stakeholder strategy and written communication. It focuses on the professional situations where authority, visibility and organisational dynamics affect how messages are received.

Participants develop scripts, message structures and stakeholder plans for situations they expect to face at work. The final module produces a 30-day practice plan linked to real meetings, decisions and communication goals.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides approximately 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, communication simulations, feedback and individual application planning.